


Breaking Character

by dyingpoet



Category: The Outsiders - All Media Types
Genre: Brotherly Bonding, Canon Era, Nightmares, Sibling Bonding, i dont see enuff of darry being a sick older brother so i had to do it myself :(
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-02
Updated: 2020-05-02
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:35:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23955454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dyingpoet/pseuds/dyingpoet
Summary: Soda goes out of town and Darry clumsily tries his best without him
Relationships: Darrel Curtis & Ponyboy Curtis
Comments: 6
Kudos: 86





	Breaking Character

**Author's Note:**

> i never write non-ship stuff but i feel like darry doesn't get enuff credit for being licherally the best

Soda was bouncing up and down on heels so much Darry thought he might wear the bone down. He had a backpack slung over his shoulder and didn’t even glance back when Steve laid on the horn again.

“I really don’t gotta go, it ain’t a big deal or nothin’.” Soda looked from Darry to Ponyboy, who was leaning up against the house finishing a cigarette. He was quieter than normal and Darry had a feeling it was putting Soda on edge.

Darry didn’t buy a word of what Soda was saying though, all week he’d been going on and on about him and Steve driving into Arkansas. He had an uncle with a cabin up in the Ozarks that was empty and he’d given them the keys for the weekend. There wasn’t a chance in hell he was going to bail at the last second; Steve would run him down with the car if he tried anyway.

“C’mon Pepsi, get outta here.” Darry pushed lightly at his shoulder and he felt Soda relax as he did. “Two days ain’t even long enough for you to start missin’ us. ‘Sides, if ya don’t leave soon Steve’ll get picked up for disturbing the peace.”

Soda gave a real grin at that and nodded, pulling his eyes away from Darry and rushing to give Pony a hug. “Be good, ya hear?”

“Gosh Soda it’s just two days, I’ll be fine,” Ponyboy protested playfully, squirming and laughing a little when Soda rocked back and lifted him up off the porch. “ _ Soda _ .”

“Alright, alright.” Soda put him back down and gave both of them a mock salute as he walked backward off the porch. “Don’t have too much fun without me, ‘kay?”

“Gotcha,” Darry said and Pony just nodded. It was enough for Soda, who finally turned around and hollered at Steve to cut it out with the horn already. 

They waited until Steve’s car turned the corner off their street before Darry let out a sigh and turned to head back inside. “You goin’ out tonight, Pone?”

Pony watched the street Soda and Steve turned off onto for a second before shaking his head and looking up at Darry. “Naw, Two’s takin’ some blonde out I think.”

“What about Johnny or Dal?”

He shook his head again. “Dal’s been short on rent awhile, said he was gonna try and hustle some folks down at Charlie’s. Johnny don’t look like much of a player but he’s pretty damn good so he dragged him along.”

It wasn’t the worst way Dallas had thought to come up with rent money that Darry’d heard of, but he still rolled his eyes. “You ain’t bad at pool, he ask you to tag along?”

Pony gave a wry grin at that and pulled open the screen door. “Yeah, I told him you’d break my arm so bad I’d never play again if I did.”

“Got that right,” Darry said, shoving lightly at his brother’s head as they both walked inside. “Feel bad you ain’t got nothin’ ta do on a Friday night though, you wanna catch a movie or somethin’?”

Darry hated movies, and Pony knew it if the look he shot over his shoulder meant anything. “‘S fine, nothin’ good’s out anyhow. My art teacher gave me some paints they weren’t using for class anymore, I’ll just do that ‘til dinner.”

“Sure, I’ll call ya when it’s ready.”

Ponyboy nodded and walked upstairs, his bedroom door clicking shut a few seconds later and Darry raked a hand through his hair. He knew damn well why Soda wasn’t too keen on leaving, and it didn’t feel too hot either.

_ “Family don’t play favorites, get that shit outta your head.” _

He blinked hard and shook his head, that was right. The kid was fourteen and Soda wasn’t the one who had to keep the state off their backs; he could handle the kid being a little pissy for a while as long as he was doing it under their roof and not some strangers. 

The radio was cranked up while he cooked dinner for the both of them. Even without Soda he made just as much in case any of the boys walked over later and got hungry, leftovers didn’t usually see the next day with the number of guys coming and going. As long as nobody went hungry he figured he was doing something right.

By the time he’d gotten done frying up chicken and heated up the potatoes Two-bit’s mom had dropped off, a thank you for Darry fixing a leak in their roof, Pony still hadn’t come down so Darry figured he was off in his own world. Normally at the smell of food him and Soda came tumbling down the stairs like puppies.

“Pony! C’mon down dinner’s ready,” he called, waiting a couple seconds and getting nothing back. “Pony?”

He started up the stairs then, there was no use hollering if he was zoned in on something. You practically had to throw him over your shoulder to get him to hear you if he was real interested in something or another. 

Pony, go figure, was hunched over his desk when Darry opened the door, not glancing back until Darry came up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he did and Darry smiled a little at the wide-eyed look on his face.

“Dinner’s ready.”

“Oh yeah, sorry.” He started scrambling to get his brushes and everything in the tin cup he used for water and Darry craned his neck to get a look at what he was painting. “Lost track’a time, gotta let it dry some ‘fore I keep working on it anyway.”

Darry let out a breath at all he’d gotten done. Their house was sketched out from memory, and he’d even gotten the rust off the chain-link fence down somehow. The sky was a dark blue and stretched about halfway up the paper above it, the paper was half dried and coming up in some places with little pools of half dried paint in others. 

“You did all that while I was cookin’ dinner?” 

Pony shrugged and hunched his shoulders a little bit more over the paper, and if he heard Darry sigh a little he didn’t mention it. “Uh, yeah. It ain’t that much yet, haven’t used those kinda paints much before.”

Darry started for the door to let him finish cleaning up his stuff and threw back over his shoulder, “Well ya don’t show it, an’ hurry up ‘fore the food gets cold.”

The mention of food did it, and Pony caught up to him before he got to the bottom of the stairs. “I’m half-starved, Two-bit mooched off most’a my lunch today.”

“Surprised he hung around that long,” Darry said sarcastically, drawing a grin out of Ponyboy as they sat down.

“He jetted pretty quick once he remembered you still gotta go to class after lunch.” Pony piled his plate on and dug in, Darry right after. “Lord, I thought I ran fast, he got one look at a chemistry book and kicked up dust on his way out.”

For whatever reason Pony didn’t clam up like Darry figured he would without Soda playing twenty questions with him about his day. He rambled for a while about some history quiz but talked about his art class most. Darry got in a couple questions about what kind of stuff they were doing, but his little brother seemed jazzed up enough about getting the extra paint and all that he did most of the talking.

Darry let him. It wasn’t often, at all really, he was around Pony without Soda, and he wasn’t jealous of the middle brother or anything like that but it was nice having a conversation with the kid without a mediator. 

“Mrs. Mathews sure can cook.” Pony shoved his plate forward and grinned, shaking his head. “Dunno why Two-bit bums two meals a day off us.”

“Prob’ly ‘cause he eats more like five or six,” Darry replied and Pony barked out a laugh. He shoved at the kid’s shoulder a bit as he cleared their plates and made his way to the kitchen, Pony following right after and leaning up against the sink.

“I don’t remember whose turn it is to wash or dry but I don’t mind neither.”

He was bouncing up and down on his heels, not the usual stoic, keeping-his-head-down attitude he was used to getting from him, and there was a fraction of a second realization where Darry figured this was the longest the two of them had spent together without Soda or one of the boys around since their parents died. It was bittersweet. 

“Y’know, I can just do both,” he said lightly, turning on the faucet when Pony turned his head to frown at him. “You can get back to that painting if ya want, prob’ly the only time you’ll get on it without Soda or the hobos bustin’ in on ya and draggin’ ya outside or somethin’.”

Pony’s eyes brightened at that, and he took half a step away from the sink, fingers still half on the edge of the sink, unsure. “You sure? I really don’t mind none, honest.”

Darry shoved lightly at his shoulder, detaching him from the counter. “Get outta here ‘fore I change my mind.”

“Thanks,” Pony chirped, already turning the corner onto the stairs by the time Darry glanced back, and he rolled his eyes and got working on the dishes. Small price to pay to keep the hollering at bay for a night; if Soda was home he’d be teasing him about it already.

Pony’s door shut upstairs and he reached up to turn the radio on up on the windowsill over the sink. The music started softly and he turned up the water hot enough to steam. Crickets were starting up outside.

* * *

Darry woke up with the sound of a scream dying out from under the door, another coming up on its heels and a familiar feeling of fear twisting in his stomach. 

By the time he got across the hall to Pony’s room he’d cut out the screaming, woke himself up probably, and he could hear sobbing the way it sounded when you bit your fist to keep the noise down. The covers were shaking around the curled up ball in the center of the bed and Darry approached carefully, sitting down and hushing his brother quietly when he started hiccuping between sobs.

“Pony? ‘S okay, kiddo, c’mon.” He kept his voice low and rubbed the kid’s back gently from over the covers, biting his lip. Gosh what a night for Soda to be gone, he’d always been there when Pony started having nightmares and without him he felt clumsy and unsure. Usually he waited until Soda had calmed him down enough before getting his two cents in. 

After a minute or so of Darry hushing and rubbing circles into the kid’s back he’d worked down to just hiccups, finally uncurling himself and sitting up as Darry pulled his hand back. “S-sorry for wakin’-” his breath hitched a second and he rubbed at his eyes frantically, “wakin’ ya up Darry. I didn’t-I didn’t wanna.”

Darry could see him desperately trying not to cry just from how he was digging his palms into his eyes, it hurt to watch. It was sort of like when Johnny got jumped and couldn’t stop crying because he wanted to cut it out so bad. 

There was a physical pang in his chest when the kid peeked out at him from between his hands and drew in another breath that rattled on the way in. “Oh c’mere baby, s’okay.”

The words were barely out of his mouth before Pony flung himself forward and gripped the back of his shirt like a kid, hiccups starting up again when Darry drew his arms across his back and hushed him quietly. “S’okay, yer okay.”

He’d never held Pony when he was like that, it always seemed like he was embarrassed by the time Soda got him to quit crying and he usually just apologized quietly to Darry. Now it felt like he was holding onto glass, like if he let the kid go too soon he’d just break. The clumsiness was gone faster than it arrived. 

A few good minutes past while Pony cried himself out and hung on to Darry. The dream must’ve scared him something awful, because even once he pulled back and wiped his face off with the back of his hand he still looked squirrely.

Darry waited for him to catch his breath before speaking, voice kept low still. “You okay now?”

Pony nodded jerkily.

“You remember what it was about?”

“No.” Pony sniffled and looked between Darry and the bedcovers. “Just know it was bad.”

He knew Pony wasn’t lying, probably couldn’t if he wanted to with how much crying took it out of him, since he’d never remembered one before either. It scared him and Soda both half to death, they didn’t know what to say that could help if they didn’t know what it was.

“I’m sorry, colt. It’s been a while since you had one ain’t it?” 

Pony nodded, fidgeting with the blankets. Darry looked over at the clock on the night table and sighed, it was half past two, and he took a second to thank god it was the weekend, neither of them had to be up early the next day. “Hey, might just be a fluke, maybe Two-bit’s momma poisoned the potatoes or somethin’.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Pony laughed out weakly. He looked up at Darry and back at the clock. “I am real sorry for wakin’ ya up ‘nd everything.”

“Ain’t got nothin’ to be sorry for, ya hear?” Darry said, voice a little firm. The kid didn’t have any right to be looking as sorry as he did when a stiff breeze could probably knock him over. “Ain’t yer fault, you know that.”

“I-I know.” Pony cut himself off with a yawn and Darry grinned, tired himself.

“You okay ta go back to sleep?” 

Pony nodded and Darry frowned for a second when the younger looked down at his hands and didn’t make a move to lay back down before it dawned on him. He’d always had nightmares and went right back to sleep with Soda probably fawning over him once Darry went back to bed. Even before Soda moved into his room he could remember him staying with the kid anyway. 

“You want me to stay? Just ‘til you fall asleep?” He rushed out the last part just because he figured Pony felt just as lost as he did without Soda. 

“You don’t have’ta,” Pony said softly, but he relaxed a little when Darry reached for the foot of the bed to grab the spare blanket and made to lay down. By the time he got settled Pony’s eyes were already drooping shut; he probably cried out most of the nervous energy and Darry was just happy he was able to fall back asleep at all. 

A sleepy, “Thanks,” was all he got before Pony relaxed into the bed and his breathing evened out. 

“G’night, kiddo.”

He shifted onto his side, there didn’t seem much point in leaving anyway. Pony had a lot of pride, but he hadn’t exactly shoved Darry out the room either. If he was being honest he didn’t mind none, it’s what Soda would’ve done and just because he was gone didn’t mean the kid didn’t need it. 

Pony shifted a little closer to Darry in his sleep just before he nodded off and they stayed like that.

* * *

Sunday rolled around fast. Dallas, Johnny, and Two-bit all made their way over to the house on Saturday and hung around all day. Darry figured Dallas ran up too big a tab at Buck’s and he crashed on the couch with Johnny on the chair and Two-bit on the floor once he’d gone through too much beer to show up at home without his momma whipping a pan at his head. 

They were out smoking on the porch, Two-bit running off at the mouth about some trouble he’d nosed his way into, exaggerated beyond belief, when Steve’s car pulled up and he and Soda tumbled out.

“The boy scouts return!” Two-bit crowed as they got up, Soda ignoring him in favor of swinging Pony around in a bear hug while Steve made to cuff him around the head and missed. “Y’all see Yogi Bear out there in the woods? Yell at’cha for startin’ up a fire?”

“Y’know the best thing ‘bout bein’ deep in them woods, Two-bit?” Steve snarked, giving Dallas a handshake while he did. “Ain’t gotta listen to nobody runnin’ off at the mouth. Lordy what a break.”

Soda laughed and greeted the rest of them finishing up their cigarettes and following Steve as he walked inside, Two-bit on his heels.

“Sounds awful boring,” Two-bit commented lazily and let the screen door slam shut behind him, leaving the Curtis’ on the porch while they kept going back and forth inside. 

Darry rolled his eyes and turned to Soda; he looked more than a little worn out but happy. “Y’all had a good time without me? No brawls or nothin’?”

Pony shook his head and opened his mouth to reply when a crash from inside cut him off, followed by cursing from three different boys. Darry jerked his head at the door. “Go make sure they ain’t tearin’ the walls down, Pony, we’ll be right in.”

“Sure, glad you had a good time, Soda.” Pony turned and started inside, hollering to keep it down as he did, leaving Darry and Soda out on the porch. 

Soda shifted a little on his feet and looked at Darry. “How were y’all? You didn’t fight or nothin’ didja?”

Darry shook his head. “Naw nothin’ like that. Kid had a real bad nightmare Friday night though, woke up screaming ‘nd everything just like he used to.”

Soda went pale and brought up his hand to tear at his fingernail, looking through the screen inside. “Shit, he ain’t had one in months.”

“I know, I’m hoping it was just a fluke thing, but he was scared real bad.”

“Was he okay? You get him to quit crying alright?” Soda asked, worry written all across his features as he scanned Darry’s face.

“Yeah, he calmed down after a while and I slept in there,” Darry said, getting an arched brow from Soda. “Oh don’t look at me like that, you know what he gets like after a nightmare. He was shakin’ like a leaf even after he stopped cryin’, I didn’t wanna just leave him there.”

Soda put up both his hands and smirked teasingly. “Hey, I ain’t sayin’ nothing, I’m just surprised s’all. You gettin’ him back to sleep is all that matters.”

“It sure is, eagle scout,” Darry snarked, and threw out a lazy punch that Soda dodged, shoving him quick as he did and darted inside, Darry on his heels.

“Two-bit, get ‘im ‘fore he runs me down!”

Two-bit was jumping on Darry’s back and trying to drag him down on the floor a few steps in, and somehow Steve and Soda ended up tumbling around on the floor too. One of the others turned the T.V. on and cranked up the volume and the house went back to it’s loud, familiar self.

**Author's Note:**

> ayyyy i hope!!! i did the sibling vibes good!!! i feel like they have a w a y closer relationship than me and my siblings and i tried not to fuck it upkjsdfksdj
> 
> as always kudos/comments are my Only motivation at this point in quarantine so hmu if you can!!! love yall and hmu on tumblr @dying-poet if u got any prompts cuz i rlly do need em :')


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